S11, E1: After 10 years at Chicago's County General Hospital, Attending Physician Dr. John Carter (series star Noah Wyle) has risen to a role of respect and moral leadership in the emergency room. His recently graduated colleague Abby Lockhart (series star Maura Tierney) proudly dons a doctor's white lab coat for the first time. Newly promoted to chief of staff, Dr. Kerry Weaver (series star Laura Innes) remains as tough as ever, but chinks have appeared in her armor, especially after the loss of her life partner and the resulting bitter custody battle over their son. Attending Physician Dr. Luka Kovac (series star Goran Visnjic) carries on a complicated romance with streetwise, seasoned nurse Samantha Taggart (series star Linda Cardellini), whose 10-year-old son, Alex (recurring guest star Oliver Davis), looks up to Kovac as a role model, friend and, sometimes, substitute father.